Isla Sorna

[cerhadivision]

2
For bluebetabitch

When you spend a long time building something with your own two hands, it becomes difficult to wrap your mind around the idea of the work being done. Owen grew up around that kind of mindset, and knows very well how it feels to be in the same grip. But he doesn't mind. That's the thing about having a family: it expands, and the world around it needs to expand with it. Little by little, the house came up around them, and they settled into it, and he's never really stopped working this little world of his over like an ever-evolving project that he loves with his whole heart.

They're settled here. Officially. No one can deny it, and even though Owen still has dreams sometimes about InGen -- or anyone -- hunting them down to rip the girls, or even the boys, out of his hands, those fears evaporate every morning. The girls get along as well as any sisters do, and even the squabbling has died down in recent months; the boys have adapted beautifully, and although Chi and Psi still exhibit behavior that looks odd alongside the girls from time to time, they no longer struggle to meet expectations that were completely alien to them for most of their lives.

And then there's Blue and Omega.

The difference in Blue between her youth on Isla Nublar, and the young womanhood that quite clearly blossomed in the Santa Lucia Mountains of central California, is not only noticeable, but striking. Always the one he could rely on over the others, Blue has managed to develop into a creature that is both an extension of his right arm and yet still a highly independent person who no longer looks to him quite so often for cues; she still values her space and her privacy, but those withdrawals from the pack just to brood and sulk have all but disappeared. And while Blue's temper will always strike fear into the hearts of her siblings -- adopted or otherwise -- she's learned to balance it with patience, a trait that would always thwart her more than any other. Until now. Owen always wanted Blue to learn that balance between animal instinct and human rationality, and he knew she'd get there in her own way sooner or later. Now, it seems she has, and it's a beautiful thing to see.

Then, as if her own transformation wasn't enough, she'd somehow managed to turn her mate into an entirely different person.

If Blue's maturation is impressive, Omega's has been nothing short of miraculous. All right... Owen is a professional behaviorist; he knows there's no such thing as miracles, only hard work and dedication. Only this time it wasn't his. It was Blue's time, effort, and uncharacteristic affection that turned a furious, hateful killing machine into something that could be now what he might have been then, before InGen had their way. Omega lives in the house now. He eats when they do. He joins the family in their gatherings, as long as Blue is with him, and although his temper is still zero to 60 when roused, these days it's much harder to set him off than it used to be, even if that wouldn't be saying much. He prefers his mate and solitude over anything else, but his violently aggressive tendencies have been all but curbed for the sake of keeping Blue happy.

For obvious reasons, Owen has kept a close eye on them both from day one, and even from the very beginning Omega has treated Blue like the center of the universe. Owen himself has salvaged his share of abused, wild animals -- it's literally part of the job -- but he knows without question that no one could have done this but her. And her success is absolutely indisputable.

Case in point: today, Omega's dislike for interacting with unfamiliar people had outweighed his desire to be with Blue as often as possible, and instead of throwing a tantrum he simply hadn't gone with her down the mountain.

For Barry, it was supplies; Echo wanted clothes; Blue was only interested in procuring necessary parts for her nearly-restored 1979 Pontiac Phoenix Firebird, a task built upon very specific requirements and one which she would never entrust to any of her siblings. The day is very nice for a sojourn into the city, considering the length of the drive: blue skies and a mild breeze, not quite so far into spring that the air is anything more than comfortably warm. Psi is helping Delta collect chili peppers and the new experimental plums. Chi fell asleep in the grass up the hill. Charlie is giving Owen a hand with replacing some worn poles along the stone steps leading down to the boys' den, when they hear the familiar sound of the Jeep rolling up the long hill that serves as their driveway.

Only, it sounds like it's coming up fast.

Owen and Charlie look at each other, and immediately drop what they're doing to meet the car just as Barry rolls up, screeching to a stop and diving out of the driver's side to rush around to the passenger door. He looks frantic. And he's helping Echo out of the car. She looks like she's about to pitch right off her feet.

"Owen!" Barry calls out urgently, eyes widening immediately as Owen rushes to them. "Owen!" He has to wrap an arm around Echo's back to keep her standing. And then, to Owen's surprise and dread, Barry yells again. "Omega!"

Owen doesn't actually know where Omega has been this whole time. But suddenly he's there next to him, clearly as alarmed at being summoned as Owen was to hear it, and Owen can practically feel the tension in the male raptor's body triple because they both realized the same thing: that Blue is not with them.

"They took her," Barry says, breathless, and the bottom falls out of Owen's stomach.

Echo tries to rouse herself, flopping a little, mumbling in groggy frustration as she tries to shake off whatever is wrong with her and help explain. But Barry keeps his hold on her and barrels right through it.

"It was InGen. They had an entire strike force, Owen, the streets are chaos now. They used non-lethals. Tranquilizers. Echo took a direct hit, but they left her behind. All of them were focused on Blue." He looks at both of them, Owen and then Omega, panicked and desperate. "They came for her."

The weather was gorgeous a minute ago. Now the entire world is ice. Owen's heart has stopped, his breath is gone. Delta and the boys come running up, but he barely notices them. Beside him is Omega, frozen; then suddenly the raptor whirls to him, eyes wide, and the fury -- the fear -- in them is apocalyptic.

Omega doesn't say a word, but Owen immediately finds his voice. "Go get her."

The male raptor is gone like a bolt of lightning. Owen turns and strides quickly to a hidden cache beneath the porch. He pulls out two assault rifles and a hell of a lot of ammo as Charlie shrieks behind him, "Why aren't we going with him?!"

"Because we're going to follow him." Owen tosses a rifle to Barry, and gestures sharply for everyone to get into the car, including the still-dizzy Echo. "After Isla Nublar, Omega found us in less than a week on nothing but Blue's scent and pure instinct. This time he knows where he's going. We'd only slow him down." The motor is still running. Almost before every door is shut, Owen jerks the Jeep into gear. His last words are almost a growl to himself. "With any luck, all we'll have to do is clean up."

The Jeep screeches in reverse, turns, and roars off down the mountain.

Comments

[myraptors]

God damn it. It was a long shot, he knew that before he asked it, but that was the only way he might have been able to sleep at night afterward. As much as he wants to respond to Gwen's gestures of support, Owen is turning to stone here, he's sure of it. He's been pissed off before. He's been furious at InGen, worried for his girls, ready to fight if he was pushed even the slightest bit more. None of that ever held a candle to this.

He manages to turn his hand enough for Gwen to clutch it, but if he closes his fingers he might accidentally crush her hand.

"Gwen... I can't make that call for her." He aims his scowl at the wall over her shoulder, just in case something bursts into flames. "She deserves to hear what you're telling me and make her own call, even if I was 100% positive on what she'd say. We can't be two more authority figures treating her like an animal."

Pausing, Owen glances briefly toward the door again. "But I think you should talk to her without Omega."

[dinodoc]

In the back of her mind, Gwen had been afraid of that answer. But she knew, even as Owen had been saying it, that it was the right one. Blue wasn't an animal. She was a young woman caught in a horrific set of circumstances, and she deserved to know what was happening to her and make her own choice about how to handle it.

Gwen just nodded, feeling just a fraction of Owen's pain herself and it cut her heart like a dull knife. She glanced down the hall as footsteps approached, seeing Mitch hurrying towards them with a box that rattled in his hands.

"I got 'em, Gwen," he panted, sweat standing on his pale forehead. "Had to diddle the files a little, but I think we'll be covered for a day or three."

Gwen exhaled a short sigh of relief. "Great, Mitch. Thanks so much. Listen, the male hybrid's in there with her, probably still asleep. He's not going to want to leave her, so just work around him as best as you can. Get the metro into her IV now, and dose it at about 45 cc's per mil. We've got to clean her system out so it can replenish itself."

She paused, looking from him to Owen and then back again. "Give me a minute or two and I'll be right there, promise." Mitch headed off, and Gwen turned back to Owen. "If Mitch and I can get her stable, I'll make some calls tonight and try to arrange a transport for all of us. Because we're not going to be able to stay here, not with the InGen facility burning to the ground over on Isla Sorna. I might, just might, be able to get us back to Los Angeles and the medical lab at UCLA. They have equipment that's almost as advanced as the stuff here."

[myraptors]

Being interrupted sends grating pressure down his spine, but as soon as he registers who it is and what he's doing, that pressure turns into a fresh thread of relief. That's the next step toward fixing Blue. They're going to combat the tranquilizers now. One thing at a time, but she's going to be okay.

Obviously. She can't not be okay.

Owen considers going in there to supervise, since there is no way all of this isn't putting a strain on Omega's self control, and the last thing they need right now is for Mitch or whatever his name is to stumble back out here missing half his face. But then again, he's probably not in the best condition to play peacekeeper right now. They'll just have to put faith in the male hybrid's ability to retain the fact that everyone here is on Blue's side. So far, Omega does seem to be clutching at that over anything else.

Still, he stops Mitch just before he goes in. "If he wakes up, you're gonna want to tell him exactly what you're doing."

After that, he looks at Gwen again. "All right. The sooner we can get here out of here, the better. What do you need from me now?"

[dinodoc]

Gwen saw Mitch swallow hard, but she reassured him with a brief smile and nodded. He went on in the room, but quietly. The door closed and Gwen turned back to Owen. She gave his fingers a brief squeeze, then pressed her hands to the bridge of her nose, thinking quickly.

"Bring the pack back here. The girls are going to be worried about Blue." Of that, Gwen had no doubt. "As soon as I get those meds in Blue's IV, I'll get on the phone and start contacting people."

She grimaced slightly. "...I know it's going to be hard to keep all of them hidden, but we'll have to, somehow." Gwen definitely didn't envy Owen that particular chore. "Just..." and she was absolutely serious about this, "...please be careful, okay?"

[myraptors]

Unless she'd given him some other explicit instructions, wrangling up the pack would have been his first action anyway. They deserve some clarification now, although Owen still isn't sure he can be especially tactful about it. And there's not much he thinks they really need to know as far as details. If any. He'll let them know what they need to do in order to help their sister recover, and after that they can work together properly.

Difficult though it may be, at least it's something to do. A task. Not an impossible question or decisions he can't possibly make with a clear conscience. He nods, at least certain that he won't let a damn thing happen to any other member of his family.

"Of course I will." And then, because all of a sudden he can catch a single breath, and he might as well do something good with it, he leans closer to Gwen and presses a kiss to the side of her head. "Thank you. I'll be back soon."

And he leaves again, one step closer to putting this hell behind them.

[dinodoc]

Gwen watched Owen's back until he turned the corner leading down to the dock, then hurried back to the room where Blue still lay comatose, quickly but gently opening the door and easing inside.

Six hours later, she was overseeing the relocation of her patient from Jurassic World's medical center up to the heliport where waited a fast track chopper to take Blue, Omega, Gwen and Owen to the mainland, to rendezvous with yet another aircraft which would have them landing in Los Angeles around three am, local time.

Barry and the rest of the pack were to follow on by more conventional means; Gwen had utilized every single favor she could think of to get Blue off that island. And thank God she didn't have to worry about Omega; a year ago, the doc knew there'd be no way in hell the male hybrid wouldn't have made things damned near impossible, but Gwen was oddly proud of him, as he deferred to her instruction regarding Blue in everything.

Once they'd boarded the medivac for California and Gwen had checked Blue's vitals again--for the fifth time since takeoff--she finally left the male hybrid with his mate and staggered to the empty seat near Owen, all but collapsing into it. She buckled her seatbelt with jerky motions, pulling out the test results she'd procured back on Isla Nublar.

Gwen tried to read, but the words kept swimming in and out of focus. Finally she gave up altogether, and leaned her head back against the seat rest. "Her vitals are good," she told Owen quietly, more than ready to share any positive progress. "Omega's sleeping back there beside her again, why don't you go sit on her other side?"

[myraptors]

Owen is wiped out. It's the escape from Isla Nublar all over again, but thank god Gwen is handling it this time. Even though Owen isn't used to turning over the reins, he had plenty to do regardless, and he's fresh out of favors that would cause people to stick their necks this far out for his confusing little family. After this, they might not have anything left.

But nothing like this will ever goddamn happen again.

He might have been asleep sitting up in the medivac, because it startles him a little when she speaks even though she's been sitting right next to him. Looking over at her for a moment or two, he finally nods, and squeezes her hand before getting out of his seat to head back and join the hybrids.

Both of them are asleep, despite the noise and lurching motion of the aircraft. Omega has adopted a protective posture around Blue even in the minimal space provided, and he doesn't stir as Owen joins them; Owen wonders distantly how healthy the male hybrid will actually be after this whole thing is over, but is damn sure that Omega will shake it off one way or the other. Both of them just want to see Blue heal. Everything else will fall into place.

Owen takes an unsteady seat on Blue's other side, and leans forward against her cot, covering his eyes with one hand and curling the other one very carefully around her wrist.

[dinodoc]

All of them needed to sleep. None of them had had any decent rest in over a week, and Gwen knew that all of their family was running dangerously close to empty. But retrieving the lost member of their pack had been a task without question--Gwen knew that all of them would move heaven, earth and hell, if necessary, to bring her home.

She watched Owen move to the back of the aircraft, taking the seat opposite Blue's stretcher, as always touched by the tender sincerity evident between Alpha and Beta. They were a team, Owen and Blue, and although Blue was growing up, becoming a strong individual in her own right, the bond she shared with her alpha--her father--would always be unbreakable.

Gwen jolted awake when she heard the copilot calling for her, saying she had a phone call. He passed her the receiver and she answered, not at all surprised to hear the voice on the other end of the line.

"Gwen! Where are you? How far out?"

"Airborne. As to how far..." She glanced up at the copilot, who held up two fingers. "...about two hours, I think. Is everything ready there?"

Debra's voice crackled over the staticy line. "I managed to get hold of everything you asked for, although just what you need this stuff for, I can't even imagine."

Gwen sighed, leaning her head back and covering her eyes. "I told you, it's emergency surgery for a very special client. An exotic. And I'd rather not have to wade through the Los Angeles Wildlife Department when we land, Debra, okay? Just...keep a lid on things, and I'll let you know when we make it."

"Right-O, Gwen, you got it. You'll have transportation from the airport to here, no lights, no siren, but quick all the same. And hey, you'll owe me big time for this, yeah? I want to know what the hell. So you better give, when it's all over."

Gwen signed off and handed back the receiver, heaving a tired sigh. Not for the first time did she wish she'd have been able to participate in a little destruction of property back on Isla Sorna, but those were just tired thoughts. She really did need to get some rest, particularly since once they landed, she'd be the only one familiar with Blue's specific medical needs. So after checking on her patient, administering another dose of the metronodiazole and adding another fluid protein bag, Gwen stepped around, placed a soft kiss on the top of Owen's head, and returned to her seat, ignoring the seat belt in favor of lying over and curling up for a little catnap.

The hum of landing gear woke her, a little over two hours later. Gwen abruptly sat up, started to rush to Blue's bedside, but the captain informed her that they were on approach and to stay put with her seat belt fastened. His hands must have been delicate, thank God, for their landing was smooth and easy, although Gwen was nevertheless a little anxious about debarking without having to go through Customs. But Debra was as good as her word; a plain unmarked van waited at the gate for them, and everyone piled in, Blue's stretcher in the cargo's middle, with everyone else huddled around her for the short ride to the University's Medical Building.

Los Angeles at three am wasn't really dark. There was more than enough ambient city light to see by as the van rolled up to the back entrance, a woman perhaps in her early thirties waiting. She greeted Gwen by name, offering hers as Debra Williamson, and gave Owen and Omega wary looks, but fell to in assisting Doctor Carruthers with her patient.

The latter brought her up to speed quickly, couching details in medical jargon as not to alarm the laymans and Dr. Williamson was wide-eyed and more than a little taken aback by the time she and Gwen had Blue set up in a private wing of the teaching center, Omega never more than an arm's width away from her, as usual. "So that's the game," Gwen was telling Debra quite pointedly when they rejoined Owen just behind the curtain. "We'll have to wait until she comes out of the coma for surgery, which shouldn't be too much longer, if I know Blue." To Owen, Gwen said, "Debra's going to run some tests, check a few things out, and let me know our options in an hour or so." She gave the other woman a nod, adding, "Just work around him, as long as he knows you're helping, he'll be all right."

Debra looked decidedly nervous, but moved off to do her chores regardless, leaving Gwen to tell Owen, "There's nothing I can do until I get those test results or she regains consciousness. There's a food court here, something's always open for the interns pulling all-nighters, and a set of showers and whatnot." She checked her watch. "Debra said it'll be about two hours, give or take fifteen minutes, before she gets anything viable, so we have a bit of a window."

[myraptors]

Owen hasn't gotten enough sleep. Neither has Gwen. Omega is alert whenever a stranger is in the room, but as soon as he's alone with his mate he goes back to sleep beside her, which makes Owen wonder deliriously if they're communicating in dreams or something. At this point, he might as well just expect the unbelievable from his hybrids and their unique physiology.

He should eat, probably, but he's still not sure he'd be able to keep it down. Gwen should also eat, and they both need sleep, especially if she's going to be operating on Blue, but Owen just... he's not useful in hospitals except to stay out of the way, and losing his momentum is putting him at serious risk of toppling over on the spot. But he's not going anywhere until he knows if Blue will be all right.

"You're the doctor," he tells Gwen, with what would be a smile if his face would make that shape right now. "And you need to rest more than I do."

[dinodoc]

Gwen's own return smile was probably just as wan, but the effort was at least sincere. "That's what I keep reminding myself," she laughed, shaking her head slightly. "And yeah, a nap or something, at least. Debra has a couch in her office, I might pop in there for a little bit, or at least start mainlining coffee before dawn." A yawn interrupted her, touche.

She plunked down on a nearby chair, elbows propped on her knees. "But I'm honestly looking for her to come around either today, or by tomorrow morning. Her vitals are good, her color's significantly improved, and she's gotten enough fluids and warmth to flush most of the tranquilizer out of her system. I'll keep giving her the metro, though, just to make sure."

Gwen then looked up at Owen again, expression tired but serious. "And we both know that there's very little chance of Omega leaving that room once she does come around. So, getting him out in order to talk to Blue is going to be...tricky."

[myraptors]

"That wouldn't surprise me," Owen says, coming over to stand beside her. "Blue is always ahead of the game, even when it comes to healing herself. Remember when she broke her arm? She was out of that cast in, what, a month?" And with nothing now to show for it, even -- although that was probably as much a testament to her doctor as it was to herself.

But at the mention of Omega, Owen sighs heavily, something he's done less and less in recent months. He sinks slowly into the chair next to Gwen. "I know," he admits, brow furrowing. "But I think he'll understand the importance of giving Blue some privacy. And I think he knows what happened to her already." Owen isn't sure how he knows that; just a hunch, really, but Omega's demeanor when they found the two of them very strongly implied as much.

"I don't think you should tell him anything specific. But if you're straightforward as Blue's doctor, he might listen." He shakes his head. "Blue has worked magic on that boy, I swear she could publish a goddamn dissertation."

[dinodoc]

Gwen remembered. Vividly. A bad break, one of the worst Gwen had seen in a good while. But the Beta had held stoic through all of the pain, and although the rehabilitation had been a trial, Gwen had never been more impressed than to see the young hybrid grit her teeth and determinedly push herself through it only by sheer willpower.

The strength of these amazing creatures--it never ceased to astound her.

"No, definitely nothing specific," Gwen agreed, just imagining the consequences of doing otherwise. It only made her headache worse. "He's been behaving admirably since we found them, it's amazing, how far she's come with him in just a short year and some months." She slipped her arm through Owen's, offering whatever comfort and support he'd take.

"I'll have to run him out in a little bit, anyway," she told him. "He can't go with us into the x-ray room, so you'll probably need to keep an eye on him then. Debra's got us covered for a few days, at least--celebrity surgery for a very important client, all hush-hush, but the University handles quite a bit of those every year."

She gave his hand a thoughtful little squeeze. "You want to come take a nap with me? There are a couple of couches in the Rec room we can push together, just for an hour or so." Power naps had saved her ass, back in vet school; Gwen had become a pro at snatching one whenever it was necessary.

[myraptors]

This time, Owen does manage to work out just a hint of a smile. Yeah, Blue has done some incredible work. And so has Gwen. All the women around him are just kicking ass all over the place, and he's goddamn thrilled to see it. Not to mention lucky.

"I remember all the strings you pulled the last time." An equally terrifying incident, if not quite as emotionally harrowing. At least they only have one comatose raptor this time. So there's that.

He starts to say for the hundredth time that he doesn't know where they would be right now if it wasn't for Gwen, but... those words just don't seem like enough, anymore. She has to know how much he means it, though.

"Yeah." He squeezes her back, lacing their fingers and ignoring how much his head swims when he stands up, tugging her with him. "That sounds really good to me right about now."

[bluebetabitch]

Her last memories were full of sharp, jagged pain. Blue's eyelids fluttered, she tried to make a noise down in her throat, but nothing responded. She did manage to blink her eyes open just a little, enough to see in the dimness and realize that she had absolutely no idea where she was!

Her first reaction was, of course, panic. Everything around her smelled sterile, white, and sharp. She didn't feel shackled, however, but she was far too weak to simply surge up and out of here...wherever here was. Thwarted of her initial instinct, Blue simply breathed, in and out, calming breaths which, shockingly enough, brought her a very familiar scent and it was so much of a relief that it brought tears to her eyes.

Omega.

He was here. Somewhere. Nearby, she hoped. A curious warmth emanated from her left side, but she was still too frail to investigate it, and even turning her head was a chore. But he was here, he was close, and she needed him. Dimly she realized that Owen's familiar scent was also present, but faint, dim. Blue inhaled again, sorting out the smells: Omega, Owen, and...yes, Dr. Gwen, she also was or had been here, not long ago.

Blue relaxed; her family was close, she was hurting, but it was bearable, nothing like the inward turning knives she'd suffered...however long ago. She wasn't able to move very much just yet, but she finally managed a small mewl, a plaintive sound to anyone who might be close enough to hear.

[cerhadivision]

Owen had wondered if Omega was suffering any adverse effects from all this, and in truth Omega wouldn't have been able to answer that question even if it was posed to him. Blue's safety, the danger she'd been in -- and still is -- has utterly wiped away everything else.

He let the medical team work around him without interference because they were doing what he couldn't. They couldn't make him move, but they could touch his mate, examine her with gentle hands and stick careful needles in her skin, putting fluids in her that were supposed to flush everything toxic out of her system. And he only believes that because Dr. Gwen told him so, and is supervising everything, and Blue's Alpha is always close by... except for that time when he asked about Hoskins, and disappeared.

Omega hopes that Hoskins died badly.

In any case, after Dr. Gwen had suggested that he sleep at Blue's side, he hasn't been able to do anything else. He did wake up from time to time, when medical staff came and went, just to be sure they were being careful, but after that it was lights out again, focused on his mate's heartbeat and the wonderful scent of her, finally beside him again. Even when he isn't awake, Omega is attuned to her completely. That's always been the case, ever since he first met her. So when Blue makes even that tiny little sound, his eyes open.

He lifts his head, immediately alert to the concern that Blue's pain is becoming intense again, only to find his mate stirring and clearly awake. Relief dizzies him in an instant, and he touches his head to hers, nuzzling her a little harder than he means to in lieu of pulling her fiercely into his arms. His voice is hoarse. "Blue."

[bluebetabitch]

Ah, there he was. All the tension melted away when she both felt and heard Omega beside her, the curious warmth identified. Her hand twitched, groping weakly and blindly for him, still unable to keep control over her limbs, but she was getting there.

She still felt dizzy, sick and weak, but nowhere near as acute as she had before she'd lost consciousness. Thoughts of InGen and Hoskins were nowhere close; she knew she was safe. Her mate was nearby, and her human parents, so she could rest easy.

Omega nuzzled her, a rough but welcome caress, and Blue tried to return it as best as she could, accomplishing only just a small nudge in return. She was so thirsty, her mouth and throat parched and dry, but had no way to ask for it. Perhaps later, when she had a bit more strength.

Blue finally managed to pull her arm up at the elbow, back of her hand thunking against Omega's shoulder and her fingers clumsily grasped at his shirt. Licking her lips, she forced her eyes to flutter open again, and tried. "...O...Omeg...a..." And heaved a deep breath, exhausted even with those simple efforts.

[cerhadivision]

It's the first thing she's said since he found her, and it could have been a random type of bird or something completely ridiculous but it would still be the most beautiful thing he's heard in a week. But she doesn't sound good. Omega would take her snarling at him and slamming a door in his face over this breathless weakness, the way she can barely keep her eyes open to look at him.

"I'm here." He nuzzles her again, throat catching. "You're safe."

He catches her hand, and traps it between them when he finally does wrap both arms around her and clutch her tightly against him, trying through sheer willpower alone to pass some of his strength over to her, whatever she needs to claw her way out of this. Because he knows she can. InGen isn't strong enough to break her. (They never would have gotten the chance if he'd just been there in the first place.)

Even right now, Omega is good for nothing at first, because he's too busy trying to emphasize right-here-ness, the fact that he has her and he's not going anywhere now. He runs careful fingers through her hair, tucking her head beneath his chin; he'll fetch her water, and he'll summon Dr. Gwen, but for this very second even an earthquake wouldn't separate them.

[bluebetabitch]

Even though her body still throbbed like a sore tooth all over, it was nevertheless good to just rest, lying there beside her attentive mate. Omega's scent filled her nose, covering her in his tender affection, a thing he'd never even realized existed only a few short months ago.

Blue sighed, tilting her head closer beneath his, her instinctive nuzzle so light it was almost a whisper, and she did manage to close her fingers around his, nothing like her customary grip, but reciprocated, regardless.

She woke again when she heard the door open, eyes focused just enough to make out the familiar visage of Dr. Gwen and right behind her, Owen! Blue stifled a sob, for now she knew--she knew--she was going to be all right; her family had come for her; everything was right, at long last.

"Hey, Blue," she heard Dr. Gwen's voice speaking to her, her familiar smile drifting close, and a soft hand settled on her forehead, felt of her cheek. "Welcome back, sweetheart." Blue dropped her lashes to half-mast, basking in the doctor's maternal tenderness. She felt more than saw Omega at her other side, but Owen was right behind Dr. Gwen, and Blue's right hand twitched, trying to reach for him.

Dr. Gwen moved out of her sight and Owen took her place in Blue's vision, and for the second time since she'd been ripped away from her family, tears filled her eyes and one escaped to trail down her pale cheek. Blue's lip trembled, she swallowed thickly, trying to push the words out.

"...O-Owen...'m sor-sorry..."

She clutched for him, fighting against her body's lethargic pull.

[myraptors]

They hadn't gotten much sleep, but it was good enough. And it was gonna have to last them a little longer, for that matter. Gwen and Owen are both used to this sort of erratic sleep schedule, for different reasons, but it's been a lot longer since Owen's had to deal with it. Especially like this. He's lucky as hell that Gwen is here, and that there are other people helping him to deal with this right now.

But all of his exhaustion evaporates, all of it, just disappears as if he never noticed it in the first place when he walks into Blue's room behind Gwen. God, that's the most beautiful thing in the world right now: Blue awake and looking at him, even if she's still a mess, barely moving under her own steam. It's a win he's gonna take; from this point on, he's damn certain her condition won't do anything but improve.

And then her eyes fill with tears, doing something to Owen's heart that's so much worse then any of the anger he's felt over the past week.

"Hey... hey..." He crouches down enough by her bedside that he can wrap her up in a tight hug, not quite pulling her out of Omega's grasp -- he's got Blue's left hand locked in his own -- but surrounding her just for a minute like she's just a little thing all over again. Owen's physical affection, though by no means absent, rarely extends this far with his girls. But if there's ever a time to break tradition, good lord, this is it.

"It's okay. Easy. You have nothing to be sorry about, Blue. Do you understand?"

[dinodoc]

Gwen stepped back to let Owen get close to Blue's bedside, her own heart breaking to see Blue's tears. But Owen was with her, holding her close and would soothe those raw fears as he always had, and Gwen had to turn away to hide her own tears, sliding unchecked down her cheeks.

Damn Ingen--and Hoskins!!--for this!

Wiping her face with her hand, Gwen looked up just as Debra came in the other door, emerging with a sheaf of papers; test results. She motioned Gwen over and handed her the top papers, looking grave.

Scanning the print, Gwen blinked. "She's stopped hemorrhaging. Oh, thank God." Debra nodded. "For the moment, anyway. But there are still some very weak spots in a couple other veins, so we can't discount the possibility that increased blood pressure won't rupture one."

Gwen grimaced. "Damnit. Well, we'll just have to be very careful from this point on, and I want to try giving her rivaroxaban--hopefully that will keep her blood pressure stabilized while she heals."

Debra blinked, nonplussed. "Gwen," the other doctor said seriously, "what...are they? Really? The blood tests--I've never seen anything like that, not ever."

Stifling a sigh, and wishing she didn't have to do it, but Debra was putting a lot out on a limb here, Gwen took a dee breath and recounted a swift summary of her work for the past eight or so years, leaving out the classified details, but making Debra understand that despite all the genetic tinkering, the girl in the hospital bed and the young man unwilling to be more than six inches away from here were, despite their appearances, very vulnerable victims of mankind's overwhelming hubris.

"...and to put it succinctly," she added, handing the papers back to Debra, "the two of them and the rest of their siblings are as important to me as if they were my own kids. So thank you, Deb, from the absolute depths of my heart. But would you give us a few minutes, please? Thanks."

After the other doctor departed again, the door closing behind her, Gwen stepped back over to Blue's bedside, resting a hand gently on Owen's shoulder. The brief squeeze said more than words that she needed to talk to him, outside.

[myraptors]

Blue doesn't say anything else, and neither does Owen, but he holds her and rubs her back without feeling any urgent need to pull away. Omega doesn't interfere or speak, his palpable tension to be expected, but none of them are panicking anymore. They can't quite relax, but they can breathe a little easier. That's huge.

Only when Gwen touches him does he look up, and finally draw away, letting Blue carefully out of his embrace to settle back against the pillows and her mate. Omega immediately curls around her again.

"We're gonna be right outside. Okay?" He exchanges a glance with Omega; Blue might not be able to call if she needs something, but her mate can and should. Then Owen follows Gwen from the hospital room and closes the door carefully behind him.

"How are we looking?"

[dinodoc]

"Well, the internal bleeding has all but stopped," Gwen reported with a brief, relieved smile. "But Debra did notice a few other weaknesses in a few of her vein walls, so we'll have to be careful with her blood pressure. I'm going to put her on a blood thinner, just for the duration, which..." she paused, relief sobering into seriousness, "...which will make surgery--if she opts for it--a chancy thing, Owen."

Gwen ran a hand through her lopsided ponytail, but forged on. "Her vitals are very good. Her heartbeat's regular, her pulse sounds good, and she's oxygenated back to normal. I doubt she'll be able to eat much yet, so I'll keep her on the protein IV; her system's going to need all the nourishment it can get, to keep healing itself."

She glanced back at the door, then leaned against the wall beside it, crossing her arms tiredly. "Time, that's the crucial thing here. They've been engineered with accelerated healing, but the metabolic cost is necessarily exponential. So if we're going to remove the fetus, we're going to have to move fast. As in, tomorrow morning, at the latest. Because Owen, as long as it's still growing inside her, it's hampering her ability to heal herself."

Gwen stared at him seriously. "The question is, do you believe her rational to make such a decision right now? And it'll have to be now, the medications she'll have to receive in order for surgery will take at least eight hours to be effective."

[myraptors]

So. Good news, and... uncertain news. Owen purses his lips as he listens, because here they are back at the biggest issue they're still facing, and it's not one that's provided any new or easier answers since the last time it came up. Arms folding again, Owen looks down at the floor between them instead of back at the door with the raptors beyond it, as if doing so might alert them to the conversation taking place outside.

This has got to be as contained a situation as they can possibly make it.

"Listen," he says eventually, lifting a frown back to Gwen. "You know what my choice would be. Blue deserves the chance to make one herself, even if this is the only one we get. But if she starts getting worked up or doesn't know what to do, you tell her what I said, okay?"

Owen pauses to take an unsteady breath, and run a hand over his face. He can't get Blue's tears out of his mind. "And, please... make sure she knows that I'll support her no matter what she decides."

[dinodoc]

"All right." Gwen nodded, knowing none of them were quite out of the woods yet. Least of all Blue. "I'll try and have Omega give us a little alone time. If you can, try and get him to at least eat something. A long shot, I know, but he's got to be starving." A small kiss to Owen's cheek and Gwen slipped back into the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Omega was, again, curled up in the bed with his mate, Gwen smiled to see. She hated having to separate them, for any reason, but this was Blue's choice and only Blue's. So she went around to the other side and took the beta hybrid's thin hand.

"Hey, honey, it's me, it's Gwen." Checking her vitals, smoothing dark hair away from her forehead, Gwen smiled down at her patient. "I'm so glad you're back with us, sweetheart." She saw Blue's eyelashes flutter and those still-fuzzy eyes trying to focus on her, a good sign.

"I know, baby, I know it hurts, but we're going to have you up and around again very soon, okay?" A bare glance at Omega, and then Gwen said, "But right now, I need to talk about some things with you, just me and you, if that's all right?" Gwen felt more than saw Omega tense; she knew he'd bristle at the idea of being away from his mate for any reason.

"Blue," Gwen said to her clearly, urging her to focus again. "It's important, honey. Owen's right outside, no one's going to leave you alone again, all right? The boys will be right outside of that door, and after you and I talk, everyone can come right back in, okay?"

Gwen watched her struggle with it, trying to understand. She sent up a silent prayer that Blue would, because the time was now. They couldn't afford to wait any longer. She felt the hand in hers tighten, gripping her fingers firmly, and Gwen hid a sigh of relief--she was definitely getting stronger.

Then, finally, Blue emitted a low purring trill, turning her head toward Omega and nudging her head against his. Gwen watched as Blue deliberately released her fingers from his, but gave another, more significant purring vocalization, her eyes meeting his then shifting towards the door.

[myraptors]

Omega is being extremely careful to handle Blue with care, but his fingers flex around hers as if he has to stop them from going tight. His eyes narrow at the doctor, because he is growing extremely tired of being shoved sideways while his mate still needs him, and if they're only going to talk then he can't imagine why he's not allowed to stay with Blue for it--

But then his mate turns to him, and in no words at all encourages him to go. Omega frowns at her, wanting to argue, but if this is what she wants, then... she's going to get her way. Even if he does not like it. Briefly closing his eyes for one more firm nuzzle against the side of her head, Omega finally slides off the bed, glaring at Gwen just once before he leaves them alone in the room.

Owen is outside waiting for him, pleased to see that there wasn't any fuss about it even though Omega clearly dragged a thundercloud out with him. Immediately the male hybrid sets to prowling outside the door, restless even though Owen can't imagine he's not running on the barest fumes by now. Protective dozing alongside his mate only counts for so much.

"Omega," he says. The raptor ignores him. This is familiar, and not in a good way; all of Omega's admirable progress won't count for shit if he's under too much stress for long. "Omega, she's not doing anything to her. When was the last time you ate something?"

"It doesn't matter," the raptor growls at him, still pacing.

"Yes it does. We already have one hybrid in the hospital, we don't need another one landing himself there for being stubborn. Come on, the cafe is right down the hall, let's find you something to eat."

"No."

Owen sighs and tries not to rub his head. He would just go himself and bring something back and try to work from there, but honestly he's reluctant to leave Omega here alone, just in case the male hybrid snaps and just barges his way back in. Damn it. Well, if he can flag down a nurse or something and ask her very politely to bring them something that used to moo, that's what he'll have to work with for now.